Healthy Living Champions in pharmacies celebrate success

Staff at pharmacies across Lewisham last week celebrated the successful completion of a public health qualification. Staff used Chemist+Druggist Training's Well Being course to gain their Royal Society of Public Health Award.

NHS Lewisham CCG presented certificates to those who had qualified as healthy living champions over the past few months, in an initiative jointly supported by Lambeth, Southwark & Lewisham LPC. A similar scheme launched in Lambeth last year.

"We want to highlight what pharmacies are doing and their achievements. We are looking to raise local awareness of our HLPs," NHS Lewisham CCG's prescribing and medicines management committee chair Dr Rachel Forgan told the health champions at University Hospital Lewisham.

Mike Salter, NHS Lewisham CCG's head of medicine management, highlighted local successes with smoking cessation, vitamin D distribution and a local minor ailments scheme through HLPs.

Mothers were now being signposted to HLPs to pick up vitamins and register for ongoing supply, he emphasised. .To hit their 2013-14 target to encourage 1,800 smokers across the borough to quit, Mr Salter challenged the healthy living champions to each try to get one extra person to quit every fortnight.

Ash Soni, clinical network lead at neighbouring NHS Lambeth, said HLPs provided the opportunity to develop staff to do so much more within their capabilities. "HLP is like a quality kitemark," he said. "Commissioners know it means that pharmacies will deliver." "I am really proud of every single one of you," he told the healthy living champions. "It is an opportunity for us to see how you can change the health of the population in Lewisham."

Thanks to Patrick Grice at Chemist+Druggist Magazine for the original article and photo.